


Drowning

by tiredgaykeith



Series: Drabbles [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Depressed Lance (Voltron), F/M, Season 4 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 05:20:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12450447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiredgaykeith/pseuds/tiredgaykeith
Summary: Lance is hurting, and Pidge wants to help him.





	Drowning

Lance was drowning.

He put on an impressive show for everyone, but Pidge had learned through the months spent in the castle with him. He contained a myriad of facades he would pull out and put on in a moments notice.

The supportive best friend.

The sidekick to the main hero.

The always cheerful, goofy comedian.

Making a character out of himself was what Lance had grown to do best, a means to cope with their experiences in the void of the space.

But there were moments Pidge caught that no one else seemed to. When Lance's fatigue and undercurrent of emotions rose up and nearly swallowed him whole.

The first time was after they found Keith and Shiro stranded on the desert planet after the wormhole incident. Keith dragging Shiro, limp and barely breathing, into the recovery pods, and Lance putting another arm around Shiro like he had so many months ago on Earth. Pidge remembered him looping Shiro's arm around his neck, and when he looked at Shiro's chapped lips and pale skin, something flashed across his face that was so intimate and fragile Pidge thought Lance was going to break right there in the loading deck. The cheer in his eyes were flushed out by overwhelming desperation and an emotional suffering that sent a chill through Pidge's spine. It was just a singular moment though, and when he turned to Pidge he already had replaced the look in his eyes with reassurance, stability. Pidge tried to play it off as her mind playing tricks on her, but it stayed in the recesses of her memory.

Pidge would keep a close eye on him after that first time, and caught the look appearing in other, pained situations. Right after their escape from Beta Traz. When they first lost Sihiro in space. Keith's goodbye as he left for the Blade of Marmora.

And now here, when they had almost lost everything.

Lance exited Red, his walk wobbling as the adrenaline of the fight was wearing off, and his hands clenched so firmly Pidge wondered if his nails could rip through the thick, black suit. While the rebels and the rest of their team gathered with Shiro, planning on how to proceed with Prince Lotor ready to negotiate, Lance walked right past them, turning towards the hall leading into the castle. Pidge moved to follow him.

His pace was quick, and Pidge jogged to keep up with his long strides, heading towards the corridor where their rooms were.

"Lance?" Pidge yelled, hesitation and concern turning the call into a question.

 _You_ _aren't okay._

Lance stopped in his tracks, taking a moment of hesitation before looking at Pidge.

The look in his eyes was caused a twinge of pain in Pidge's chest, the torment and hurt built from their months in space rising fast underneath his skin, washing out the fake sincerity and confidence he struggled to portray. He couldn't even manage a smile.

"Go back to the team Pidge," he said, his voice emotionless, "I need to a moment. I just need to think."

_No, I'm not letting you do that to yourself._

"No," Pidge said, surprising both Lance and herself at how wobbly her own voice was, "No you don't."

Lance looked taken back, and before he could protest again, Pidge crossed the short distance between the two of them, and hugged him. Even with the hard metal of their armor separating them, Pidge wrapped her arms as tightly as she could around his waist, and swore she could hear the speeding race of his heartbeat under the breastplate. Pidge felt his hands land on her shoulders, but just when she was sure he would push away, he didn't.

Lance wrapped his arms around the back of her head and held her close, fingers gripping in her short curls. His head rested on hers, and Pidge felt him shake, a wetness on her forehead. Pidge didn't even realize she too was crying until she tried to speak again.

"We're here together, Lance," She managed shakingly, "You don't have to go through it alone."

Lance nodded his head slowly, soft, broken, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," repeating again her head. And Pidge held him while he let it all out. The rage, hurt, desperation, and loneliness. She held him above the water while he drained himself out to the last tear.

Eventually his shaking body stilled, but he refused to let go.

"We should get back to the others," Lance's voice was as weak as his grip had become, "They'll be looking for us. Don't want them to think we're pulling a 'Shiro' or something."

Pidge smiled into his shoulder, nodding lightly.

"Yeah, but in a bit. Let's just... stay here a bit."

So they did.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a comfort write for me, been through a lot this week but always remember you're never alone in your pain. <3  
> Tumblr: tiredgaykeith.tumblr.com  
> Please remember to comment and kudos if you liked, it means a lot to me :))


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